THE MOSCOW BALLET Company likes tradition but changes 'Nutcracker'

Political and social unrest prompted the update to the story.
By DAVID LYMAN
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
"It was time for a change," says Akiva Talmi, producer of the Moscow Ballet.
For the past decade, the company has barnstormed around the United States with a tried-and-true version of "The Nutcracker." It was set in a cozy, vaguely Germanic city, filled with lush, velvety costumes, and swept its leading character to a treacly Land of the Sweets.
Not any more.
Stirred by the political and social unrest in recent years, designer Valentin Fedorov proposed a radical change to the production.
Instead of dreaming of the Land of the Sweets, Masha -- the young woman at the center of the story -- longs for the Land of Peace and Harmony. And while there is no shortage of dancers in this magical land, it turns out to be a place that is also populated with eye-popping animal characters, some as tall as 10 feet.
From Russian culture
And for those who know a bit about Russian culture, Fedorov has added an additional visual layer: backdrops filled with images making reference to a host of Russian painters.
"You know how some Russian comedy can be very dark?" says Talmi. "Fedorov has managed to make the audience actually laugh. Can you imagine a unicorn playing the balalaika? It's very sweet and very funny."
It's not unusual for American dance companies to toy around with "The Nutcracker." But for a Russian company -- particularly this company -- to give it a twist like this is almost unthinkable.
The Moscow Ballet is associated with Russia's National Arts Academy, an institution made up of mid-career choreographers, directors and producers.
Impacts of unrest
But the upheavals in Chechnya, the Sept. 11 attacks, the cycle of suicide bombings and retribution in Israel -- they had an enormous resonance for Fedorov, who lives in the Chuvash Republic, midway between Moscow and Grozny, the embattled capital of the Chechen Republic.
"I know cynical people will think this is naive," says Talmi. "And maybe it is. But the feeling behind it is authentic and sincere. This is far from the kind of 'Nutcracker' that has become a best-seller in America. But it is a true attempt by Fedorov -- and all the rest of us -- to share a yearning for peace."